calf muscles and golf .. pulled mine here .. ow.

[BigDaddy_Sean]

anybody ever had a pulled calf muscle from golf?

after a round mine would generally be pretty tight .. sometimes to the point when i wake up in the night I'd have a major cramp / spasm and have to get up and walk it off.

This happened saturday night after playing friday / saturday then standing most of saturday night at the bar, lol. I had gotten one about 4 in the morning and it took about 15 minutes for the pain to subside .. I could see my calf muscle in my leg completely caved in .. twitching .. trying to stretch it out.

It isn't a big deal for me .. it happens often after a round of golf or any day of work outside as I am a cubicle guy during the week.

But man this one still hurts ... it's still tight and limping a little bit as I walk .. this is after over 2 days now.

[TommyD69]

Dude, you need to get out more!

I am a cube dweller too. I use the stairs at work when ever I can to try and keep my leg strength up.

I have had my calf cramp up on me during a swing!! I just didn't warm up properly before the round.

As you play more, your legs will strengthen, and the cramps will go away.

Just keep walking!!!

Oh ya... and DRINK (fluids)...

[jr05]

Getting out more is definitely going to be a good thing....but if you are not stretching, that is the first thing you need to do.

I stretch for at least 5-10 minutes before every round. Do a google search on golf stretches and you will get a ton of good information and tips. Sounds like you should focus on the calf stretches, but don't skimp on the others either.

Another cause of the cramps may be not enough nutrients or water. Do you drink enough water during the average day? Especially out on a hot course if you are walking, lots of water is a good thing. If you drink a lot of water....try eating a banana (for the potassium), that my be a factor as well.

Good luck!
-JR

[Surefire]

I agree with everything said above, but I would also add it is well worth getting a massage too.

I have weekly sports massages and it definately makes a difference to muscle tension, cramping and flexibility.

The only negative is it can be painfull, especially so if there is any tension or knotting in the muscles.

[ks8829]

eat bananas and stretch before and after golfing.

[BigDaddy_Sean]

well .. i do drink a lot of fluids on the golf course .. usually fill up a 20 oz bottle of water every 2 holes at least.

I'll stretch before I go out ..

It's just something that happenes every so often with me .. saturday was a really muggy hot day and I got pretty tired .. although I shot 72, lol and drank about 10 20oz waters.

[alf174]

I agree with everything said above, but I would also add it is well worth getting a massage too.

If his leg pain is an indicator of Deep Vein Thrombosis, a massage would be the worst thing to have until he's checked out by a doctor.

[Surefire]

If his leg pain is an indicator of Deep Vein Thrombosis, a massage would be the worst thing to have until he's checked out by a doctor.

For sure. I wasn't diagnosing this individual case, it was just a general comment.

[907golfer12]

I have not pulled my calf, but about a year ago I pulled a muscle on the bottom of my foot really really bad while playing soccer, and I never got it checked out and I paid for it. After my rounds my foot would kill me, because I walk, and after the round I could not walk. I got it checked out by a doctor and he said lay off it, and get it massaged (my mom is a massage therapist ). I did and now my foot only hurts if I play more than 18 holes in a day, and even then it doesn't really hurt that bad.

But I would say get it checked out by a doctor and then do what he says.

[MtGolfer]

As far as the cramping goes, that could be caused by poor hydration. Sounds like you are drinking plenty of fluids while playing, but the time at the bar may negate that, since alcohol is a diuretic and acts to dehydrate you. It can also throw your electrolytes out of balance.

[par3forme]

Well after you go get your venous doppler ultrasound to rule-out a DVT
Or wait, it could be PAD if your pain gets worse with walking...better throw in an arterial doppler too
Then again, it could all be avascular necrosis from an av malformation, aneurysm or other defect - I would get a CPK level too
Oh hell just get an MR angiogram on the whole leg.
OK now that you have blown 5 grand on tests. try increased fluids and then pick up some calcium tablets. Calcium is an ion that is involved with muscle contraction and relaxation. An old school doctor told me about this trick. When I do a lot of mountain biking I will sometimes get calf cramps and I have found that 1200mg of calcium usually helps a lot.
Stretching is very important also, this cannot be over emphasized.